Lou Schneider

The National Studebaker Museum and the old factory location is in South Bend, about a half hour west of Elkhart. The Studebaker Bros. started out making highly regarded horse drawn wagons before the automobile age. I found it interesting to take a driving tour of the former factory grounds, the 6 story, 800,000 sq ft main assembly building and several smaller buildings are still standing. It seems a main fiberoptic data trunk runs directly underneath the big building and it's being transformed into a major data center. https://www.studebakermuseum.org/. RV/MH Hall of Fame museum is a must see. https://www.rvmhhalloffame.org/

As a starting point, you have to know how much the shuttle bus with it's custom body weighs loaded for travel (including the weight of any camper conversion stuff you may add, passengers and cargo), then subtract it's weight from the chassis GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating). For example, if the GCWR is 20,000 lbs and the bus weighs 13,000 lbs the most it can tow is 7,000 lbs. Most truck stops have Cat scales where you can drive on and get the vehicle and axle weights. A county dump, a moving company or a gravel yard may also have a public scale you can use. Worst case use the bus GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) as the baseline weight and subtract it from the GCWR. Take a look at the info on this site and download the 2003 Ford Towing Guide for more exact info. GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) can be found on the driver's door label. GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating ) isn't on the door label but it is in the towing guide. https://www.blueovaltrucks.com/tech-articles/ford-towing-guides/

Is this a gas or diesel generator/motorhome? When I was taking care of radio stations, our 50,000 watt transmitter had a 210 Kw Caterpillar genset fed from a 5000 gallon diesel tank (it was an all news station, in the event of a major disaster the company wanted the ability to to stay on the air at least a couple of weeks without refueling). Once a year we would have a company come out and "polish" the fuel in the tank to remove sediment, water and algae. This consisted of pumping the fuel through a series of filters starting at 2 microns and finishing up at 0.5 microns. Something that's often overlooked in an RV installation is the generator has to suck fuel out of the top of the tank, similar to drinking through a straw. The in-tank fuel pump only feeds the main engine. This is so if there's a break in the line running to the generator the line will break suction instead of letting the tank continue to drain. A hairline crack in any of the rubber hoses will introduce air into the fuel, this may not be a problem with a new tank and a fresh filter but may interrupt enough fuel flow to starve the engine as the filter becomes plugged or the pump wears.

You can't eliminate the push-pull, it's inherent in the long rear overhang on many RVs, especially Class Cs. As the bow wave from a passing truck passes by it hits the rear of the body first, causing to pivot around the rear axle and pushing the front of the RV towards the truck. Then it progresses forward, pushing the front end away from the truck - classic push-pull. I had a Damon Intruder 35' gas Class A that tracked like it was on rails. No special gimmicks needed - just a wheelbase that was about 15% longer than most RVs, with the accompanying reduction in the rear overhang. When hit by a side wind or passing truck it leaned smoothly and predictably away from the blast - no push-pull, back and forth movements.

Yup, that's why Escapees founder Joe Peterson once quipped KOA stood for "Keep On Adding". Advertise a low starting price then add on fees for everything under the sun. Predated the airlines adopting that pricing model by a couple of decades. Since a KOA franchisee has to send 10% of their ongoing revenue back to KOA, on top of the initial franchise fee, it's a good bet their prices will be at least that much higher than other campgrounds in an area. https://topfranchise.com/products/kampgrounds-of-america-inc-franchise-for-sale-campgrounds-rv-parks/

Just IMHO in having spent the last 20 years or so winters visiting Q, but expecting someone to come out and service you kind of defeats the spirit of staying in a boondocking area. Even if they're scheduled, they're likely to be in short supply during the peak weeks as the demand increases. You just can't build the kind of infrastructure necessary to provide that level of support for the number of people who are only there for a week or two.

When I installed a residential refrigerator in my Arctic Fox trailer, the thing that limited how long I could run it on battery power was the compressor's starting surge. As lead acid batteries discharge both their voltage and available current delcine and the starting surge pulled the battery voltage down enough to trip the low voltage cutout in the inverter. If I was doing this again, I'd install a Super Capacitor right at the inverter to handle the starting surge. People have used Super Capacitors to start car engines, though one of this size may be overkill. Or upgrade to lithium batteries which don't fade out the way lead acid batteries do.

I do much the same thing. My primary hotspot is a grandfathered AT&T Mobley ($23.50/mo unlimited data), my primary phone and backup hotspot is the $25/mo Visible. I have no complaints with Visible, I often use it's hotspot to feed my tablet when I'm away from the RV. The only place I've had Visible noticeably slow down was last 4th of July at the Salida Convergence when there were so many people in town that the local WalMart sold out of bread and meat.

Gear fast, run slow has been a trucker's recipe for years. Engines are most efficient right around their torque peak, which can be as low as 1400 RPM for a large diesel. Air resistance goes up with the square of the speed so as you speed up you're spending more power to carve a large hole through the air. My 1999 Ford 7.3L Powerstroke towing a 29 ft. Sunnybrook travel trailer gets 10-12 MPG at 60-65 MPH. The truck has a cab height camper shell and combined with the relatively short trailer makes a fairly aerodynamic combo.

Yes, the Rio Tinto - 20 Mule Team Borax Mine Visitor Center is a hidden gem - one of the best visitor centers I've seen. Follow the signs, it'll look like you're going into the mine itself but take the gravel road to the top of the slag heap. The Visitor Center is up there, overlooking the mining operations and has numerous exhibits about the mine and borax's history from the 20 Mule Team days to present. Parking and admission are free but donations are accepted to support the local community. The parking lot is RV accessible but no overnight stays are allowed. https://www.borax.com/borax-operations/borax-visitor-centex There's an unaffiliated Borax mining museum in town, also worth a visit.

Wanting used rigs is a change for Camping World. When they first started selling RVs their target audience was first time RVers and they actively discouraged people wanting to trade in their old rig.

Hey Kirk, as a moderator how about fixing the spelling on the thread title?

Does anyone else see a problem with this installation? I've noticed it in many installs. Two 100 a/h batteries connected in parallel with heavy gauge cables, positioned so their unprotected (+) and (-) terminals are within an inch of each other and just asking to catch something falling across them. Maybe the battery BMS will shut down the output before anything gets dangerously hot, but still ...

More precisely, the true North and South Poles form the axis apon which our planet rotates. The magnetic north pole isn't at the true North Pole but can be along the path to there from certain points on the planet.

It's hard to get power from "renewables" overnight when a large portion of electric charging occurs. Usually the wind dies down and of course solar stops producing when the sun goes down. Hydroelectric power has finite limits, which means overnight charging uses power generated in coal and fossil fuel power plants.

You don't pay for gas if the pump was set to start without inserting a CC, i.e. if the gas station relied on you coming into the store after you pump to settle up. The problem with setting higher pump limits is the amount of hold that's placed on the card to guarantee payment. It can take a day or two for the accounting to catch up and have the hold released. If the pump limit (and hold) were raised to say $200, a family on a road trip vacation in their small car that only buys $20 or so of gas at a time could find a large percentage of their credit limit arbitrarily off limits for a while. Not good if they were planning to push their card's credit limit for other vacation expenses like getting a hotel room, Disneyland admission for themselves and their kids, etc.

Nothing wrong with that. Batteries will only draw as much charging current as they need. A 55 amp converter won't overcharge a small battery. Think of electricity in water terms. Voltage is pressure, amps is flow rate (gallons per minute). You can have a large pump or a small pump but as long as the pressure is right, you'll only get so much flow out of a garden hose sprayer. Same with your battery. As long as the voltage is right (14.7 volts) it will only drink as much current as it needs.

I haven't had any really bad situations in 30 odd years of RVing (knock on wood!) but I do have some experience with broken leaf springs. Around 2000 I took a shortcut on a graded dirt road and at the end I noticed the trailer was sitting lower than normal. I'd broken all 4 leaf springs on the trailer, all snapped on the trailing side of the axles. The intact front half of the springs were acting as a trailing arm suspension with the broken end of each spring resting on the trailer's chassis keeping the axles roughly in place. Nothing was rubbing so I was able to carefully go another 50 miles where I was able to stay in an RV park until the replacement springs arrived. When I was 16 my first car snapped one of the rear leaf springs. I used a length of 2x4 and four U-clamps to tie the two pieces of the spring back together. Also worked, getting me 25 miles to and from my after school job in a neighboring town until the new spring arrived.

Legally, you need 12 volts to apply the trailer brakes through the breakaway switch if the trailer ever comes loose from the tow vehicle. If this ever happens, it's easier to point at a 12 volt battery as the power source than trying to explain the brakes didn't work because they or something else caused a voltage converter to overload and shut down.

Or just measure the voltage at the output of the DC-DC converter when the slide reaches full extension. If it dips there you've reached the converter's limit. If it doesn't dip then look at improving the wiring. I got this AC-DC clamp on ammeter a while back, it works great. https://www.amazon.com/KAIWEETS-Multimeter-Auto-ranging-Temperature-Capacitance/dp/B07Z398YWF

Yeah, I moved from CA to WA state in 2005 and traded my CA license for a WA license. Six years later I returned to CA and transferred my license once again. My name and old CA drivers license number instantly came up on the DMV terminal and my new license was issued under my old number. Once CA has you, they have you for life. That was one reason I got on the waiting list in the Pair-A-Dice co-op and got a lot there when I retired - so I had a valid address to make a clean domicile transition out of CA.

With that large of a truck and that light of a trailer, I'd just mount the hitch behind the axle where the trailer clears the rear of the flatbed. You can see how much the truck will squat or lift the front end by putting 1500 lbs of a load at that location - maybe lower the trailer's hitch pin onto a metal plate to spread the load on the bed. People tow conventional trailers with the hitch point behind the rear bumper so you shouldn't have any trouble towing a light 5th wheel with the pin slightly behind the rear axle.

Several years ago I was living in Los Angeles and purchased a Sunnybrook trailer from a private party in Las Vegas. Found it on Craigslist and I drove out there, completed the transaction and hitched the trailer to my truck. This was right after Governor Brown approved issuing drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. The lines at every DMV office in the Los Angeles area were horrendous, out the door and several times around the parking lot. They had even brought in porta-potties and several food trucks were doing a booming business. I decided to see if I could register it with my LA address at a DMV office outside of the LA area. I drive down to Needles and walked into the DMV office there. I was the only customer. The two DMV employees were passing the time listening to the radio. We completed the registration process, which included one of the agents going out to the parking lot with me to verify the trailer's VIN number engraved on the A frame. I got my new plate and registration, with pink slip to follow in the mail. Easy peasy. When we returned inside, another customer had joined the party by now. I mentioned my driver's license was expiring next month and I had not received a renewal notice. No problem, I could renew it right there if I was willing to take the written test. I did, and passed with flying colors. The agent then noticed I had an M motorcycle endorsement, did I want to renew it also? I hadn't ridden a motorcycle in over 30 years, and told her such, but what the heck, why not. So back I went to take the Class M written test. When I brought it back to be graded, I had missed the maximum number of questions by the time she got to the last one. She said, "well, we know this answer isn't right, would you like to change it?" I took a wild guess at the remaining 3 answers, she smiled and said "Would you like to try again?" I picked one of the remaining two. She smiled again and said, "Congratulations, you passed!" The motorcycle endorsement transferred automatically when I retired, moved to Nevada and got my Nevada driver's license the following year.

Look at the pictures again, the two ends aren't connected and stop short of touching each other inside the insulated handle.

Since Sirius and XM merged, they use an excessive amount of data compression to cram as much content as they can onto the satellites. Makes my ears hurt after listening to them for a while.